walk events Olympic organizers have asked the general public to not line the route of marathon and race walk events at the Tokyo Games over fears that crowds could spread coronavirus infections. The two events occur in Sapporo, which still has emergency Covid measures in situ. Organizers said “to reduce the chance of infection” they might restrict “the movement of members of the public”. The Games, delayed a year thanks to the pandemic, start on 23 July. Event organizers said that they had met police and native administration to debate arrangements for the race walk events, which happen on 6 August, and therefore the women’s and men’s marathons, which occur over the subsequent two days. In a statement, they added that they might still work with local authorities “to ensure a secure and secure Tokyo 2020 Games for all participants and for the citizens of Sapporo and Hokkaido”. Meanwhile, the Kyodo News reported that Japan is probably going to increase a quasi state-of-emergency for the greater Tokyo area by a month, which the opening ceremony is also one amongst a variety of Olympics events to be held without spectators. The delayed Tokyo Games were already set to be staged without the presence of international fans due to coronavirus restrictions. Local spectators, however, are still set to be allowed to attend, with up to 10,000 Japanese fans permitted to look at events, providing crowds don’t exceed 50% of a venue’s capacity. The Paralympic Games are scheduled to require place between 24 August and 5 September.